Come Away With Me
by fancyjules
Summary: 5 situations in which Chuck and Sarah have to "sleep" together to maintain their cover plus 1 bonus story. Complete!
1. Come Away With Me

**Title**: Come Away With Me (1/6)  
**Series Title**: Five Times Chuck and Sarah share a bed for their cover (and one time they just do)**  
Rating**: PG-13  
**Pairing/Characters**: Chuck/Sarah, Awesome, Ellie  
**Word Count**: 3037**  
Summary**: He has limits to his patience with this fake relationship and there are things he will tolerate for the CIA but this whole situation – foreign city, no mission, hotel room, Sarah in a towel and slightly buzzed – are really pushing his control.**  
Spoilers/Warnings**: up to 1x11: Chuck vs. the Crown Vic  
**Disclaimer**: Everything belongs to NBC.I'm just playing during the writers' strike.**  
Author's Notes**: This is the first of five situations that Chuck and Sarah sleep together for their cover (plus one bonus story!) It's also my first time writing Chuck fanfiction so I hope I did the characters justice. Please be sure to let me know if there's anything I can improve – and enjoy!

Sarah learns new things about Chuck every day. Which is the way a relationship is supposed to be: even when you think you know everything about someone because you've read their CIA file and been in life-threatening situations with them, you can still find out something you hadn't previously known in the most common of settings.

Today, it is the Bartowski living room. Chuck is a college football fan.

It makes sense, sort of. He went to Stanford, which among other things, has a football team. Everyone must have gone to the games on Saturdays, tailgated in the pale California sunshine, worn maroon, and prayed that **this** was the time they would beat Notre Dame or UCLA or whoever.

(Sarah is _not_ a college football fan).

He hadn't shown much enthusiasm for the Stanford-UCLA game but in retrospect that was probably more out of apprehension for returning to Stanford than lack of excitement for the game. He isn't athletic by any means but you don't have to be an athlete to enjoy sports. And while she's never seen on his computer screen, he and Awesome do occasionally have conversations in the kitchen about people she's never heard of and things like passing rates and completions. Which she now understood to be football terms but at the time had naively assumed were video game geek talk.

On the whole, not such a great job of reading the clues there.

So when Awesome stops the conversation with some Big News and announces he has 4 tickets to the BSC National Championship game and Chuck's eager "No WAY!" sounds through the apartment, Sarah has to scramble through appropriate responses to find one – she settles on amused, which is pretty neutral, but inside she is screaming, _what? He's __happy__ about this?_

Maybe she isn't such a good fake girlfriend after all.

--

The tickets are a gift to Awesome from a sick patient. He invites Ellie, obviously, and then extends the other two tickets to Chuck and Sarah. As he explains it to Ellie, it was an easy choice for several reasons: Chuck is an OK guy to watch a game with, there's no way to pick between his fraternity brothers without starting a fight, and Chuck and Sarah look like they could use some time away from LA. They're clearly into each other and Awesome is glad they're back together but there's also something not quite right about their relationship and it's not even the moving slow thing.

Chuck eagerly accepts the offer and is pleasantly surprised when Sarah agrees to go as well. They finagle the time off with their respective managers (and with the CIA and boy, is _that_ a hard sell), Ellie and Awesome switch some shifts around at the hospital, and Saturday morning finds the group trudging through the airport. Chuck and Sarah have a small tussle over who will carry her tiny duffle bag and when Chuck pulls it over his shoulder like a messenger bag and it hits his butt with every step, Sarah smirks but is clearly pleased.

The plane ride is uneventful and they arrive in New Orleans at midday. After a quick stop at the hotel to check in and dump their bags, they head back out to sight see. Chuck and Sarah do a much more convincing job of being a couple than they have in a while. They hold hands as they walk through the streets, give each other small smiles and point out things they think the other will like. They've sort of fallen back into their cover story because it's the most plausible way to explain Sarah's constant presence. It helps, marginally, that the awkwardness from the kiss and Bryce's return and everything after has generally faded. Chuck still hates that he's lying to everyone in his life, even himself sometimes, but his foray into real dating with Lou has shown him that as long as he's the Intersect, the CIA owns his life and, unfortunately, that includes his dating life. He's learned his lesson on becoming too subjective as well, after the almost-disaster with Lon Kirk that was nearly thwarted by his jealousy. He knows their relationship is a cover and the looks and touches may feel real but Sarah's made it painfully clear he is simply a job.

It doesn't make the situation any easier or any less confusing on Chuck but nothing really has been since he opened Bryce's email.

They sightsee till dusk and then have a long, leisurely dinner with several bottles of wine. Afterwards, the group decides to head back to the hotel. Everyone's tired from the flight and tomorrow's going to be a long day of football and tailgating.

Sarah, who hardly ever drinks thanks to being a secret CIA operative that must be ready for anything at any time, is loose and loopy. It's not something anyone but Chuck would really notice and he finds this new side of Sarah to be a pleasant surprise – she's more open, playful, and quick with affection. It's a side of Sarah he'd have a lot of fun with if they were really boyfriend and girlfriend, he thinks as she wraps her arms around him, stands on his tiptoes, and kisses his jaw, but as Chuck-the-Intersect, it's one he's going to have to be very careful around.

Awesome gives him a wink as the two couples part getting out of the elevator and Chuck flushes as Sarah pulls him to their room. There's no mistaking the meaning behind Awesome's wink and he supposes it's a good thing they've sold Awesome on their fake relationship.

As Sarah enters the room and closes the door, she declares, apropos of nothing, "No one is ever going to believe us as a couple if we are not comfortable with each other beyond what we show people in public."

It's the sort of statement Chuck's grown used to hearing and he replies absently as he searches for the TV remote, "We've sold Awesome. He gave me a wink as we left the elevator. Definitely thinks I'm getting lucky." Chuck finds the remote underneath his backpack and brandishes it to Sarah triumphantly. Unfortunately, Sarah's logic has gone in a completely misguided direction – the wine has gone to her head, it's the only explanation - and he turns to find Sarah shucking her jeans and long sleeved t-shirt, leaving her in lime green boy shorts and a tight blue tank top. Chuck's jaw drops.

"Sarah!" he hisses, looking at the ceiling. "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what any girlfriend would do in front of her boyfriend," she replies as she rummages through her duffle for her toiletry bag. Naturally, all this does is afford Chuck a better view of her ass and he groans softly at the sight. "Getting ready for a shower."

"Do you really think this is necessary?" he asks, still whispering for no reason.

"Yes," Sarah frowns at him. "What if Ellie or Awesome were to walk in?"

"I would hope you'd cover yourself up!"

Sarah heads into the bathroom. "Chuck, our cover is important," she reminds him, as if he's a small child. "You can't act surprised every time I hold your hand or kiss your cheek. And if this is what it takes for you to get that, than yes, this is necessary."

Chuck mimics her words to the closed door – _yes, this is necessary_ – and wonders if she's punishing him still for getting too emotional, if her warped solution to being friends and forgetting the kiss ever happened is to throw more of herself – both literally and figuratively – into the relationship while still managing to remind him it's all fake at every available moment.

Chuck flops onto the bed, listening to the sounds of Sarah's humming through the door, and trying his hardest not to think of Sarah's perky butt framed by lime green panties or worse, imagine Sarah in the shower without the panties. He fails for the most part but has enough restraint not to go knocking down the door – not that he ever really would. He's not that type but the point is, sometimes he _thinks_ about being that type.

Just, he can't with her. Never with her.

Sarah's in the shower a long time and when she comes out, she's wrapped in a small white hotel towel with a matching towel turban on her head. Her face is devoid of make-up but it's flushed pink from the hot water and her eyes seem clearer and more focused than they had when they left the restaurant. She gives Chuck a small smile as she rummages through her duffle bag for pajamas and Chuck knows this means she's of soberer mind now.

She doesn't apologize for stripping and if the amount of thigh she's showing now is any indication, she doesn't plan on it.

He escapes from his own personal hell into the bathroom with his own pajamas and a toothbrush and takes several deep, calming breaths. He has limits to his patience with this fake relationship and there are things he will tolerate for the CIA but this whole situation – foreign city, no mission, hotel room, Sarah in a towel and slightly buzzed – are really pushing his control.

When he emerges from the bathroom, Sarah's sound asleep on the top of the bed.

She's dressed in running shorts and a plain grey t-shirt and her hair is damp but starting to curl. Chuck wakes her up enough to get her under the covers. He slips into the other side and Sarah immediately snuggles into him, drawn to his warmth against the cool sheets. She's asleep again, never really ever woke up, and a breathy sigh escapes against his neck. Chuck stares at the ceiling and sleep is a long time in coming.

--

The next morning, Chuck looks exhausted and Sarah admits to having a headache. Chuck silently rummages through his bag to find Advil for her hangover headache. They stumble down to breakfast sometime later and they slink into the booth opposite Ellie and Awesome.

Awesome raises an eyebrow at the sight of them. "Long night?" he asks as Chuck orders coffee and breakfast for both of them.

"Parts of it," Sarah says saucily, which both is the truth –the part where she was half naked and Chuck wouldn't look at her seemed to stretch on forever – and fuel for Awesome's fire.

After breakfast, they head out to a local grocery store to shop for the tailgate food and beer. The store is full of crazed football fans and frantic store clerks trying to keep the shelves stocked. Awesome and Chuck debate the merits of bottles or cans for their beer while Ellie and Sarah get the chips and sandwiches.

"I love football season," Ellie sighs as they try to maneuver their way down the aisles.

Sarah smiles at the brunette, so pretty in a football jersey, her hair in a ponytail accented by a pale blue ribbon. "I'm not a big football person," she admits, "But I can see why some people are."

"Some people being Chuck?"

"Yeah," Sarah says. "I didn't know what to expect when I agreed to this weekend but I'm having a lot of fun already."

Ellie smiles and lays a hand on Sarah's forearm. "I'm glad. We're having fun with you. Chuck's having fun with you. And if anyone deserves to have a weekend of fun, it's Chuck."

Before Sarah can say anything, Awesome and Chuck find them, each carrying a case of beer. Sarah can't help but notice the way his muscles are defined against his jersey as he stands there with the beer. She drags her eyes away from his biceps to his face and finds his amused eyes looking back. She flushes, caught.

--

By some unspoken consent, Chuck and Sarah have agreed not to talk about last night. It makes the tailgate much more enjoyable and even though she's learned her lesson from last night and tries not to drink a lot, she finds herself having the time of her life. Awesome's predictions for the game are wild and outrageous, as are the college stories from his frat. Chuck even chimes in with a few of his own and Sarah finds herself laughing more in one afternoon than she has for months.

It's a sad truth.

Halfway through the afternoon, a nearby tailgate begs for them to be the opponent in some sort of drinking game that involves flipping cups and chugging. She's apprehensive but joins the game at Chuck's insistence who has transformed back into the frat boy she knows he must have been. He's in his element here as much as he is in front of a broken computer and _this_ is the Chuck she can reconcile as a college football fanatic.

Sarah wins the game for them by a millisecond, flipping her cup on the first try after draining it in one gulp. Awesome yells "Team hug!" and squishes Ellie, Chuck, and Sarah together. Sarah's flush against Chuck, with Ellie's elbow in her side, and she turns to Chuck with an exaggerated surprise face, eyes wide and lips in a half smile. Awesome releases them with a yell for another game as Chuck rolls his own eyes at her but leans down to kiss her on the forehead anyway. Sarah knows it's the most PDA he'll allow, especially to a fake girlfriend, and as the guys on the opposing team flirt with her about her ability to open her throat (ah, college humor), Sarah jokes back with them but threads her fingers through Chuck's hand and squeezes.

By the time the actual football game rolls around, everyone is pleasantly plastered. Sarah's hardly ever drunk and never two days in a row. She takes the time to relish in being Sarah Walker, Weinerlicious employee and Chuck's girlfriend for a few minutes, instead of "Sarah Walker", CIA Agent and Chuck's protector. The game flies by, thanks to the alcohol, and Sarah does a poor job of following the game, usually only clapping or cheering when Chuck does and sometimes not even then.

The game ends with the right team getting a victory. Sarah and Ellie beg off celebration drinks, claiming exhaustion and tired feet (neither of which are a lie for Sarah – wearing heels to a football game was a poor choice) and head back to the hotel for some girl bonding. Chuck bears the brunt of Awesome's exuberance and together they drink their way around New Orleans. They head back to the hotel late, stumbling and singing college football fight songs, and part with fist bumps at the elevator. Chuck feels good from the game and the evening of drinking, something not even extended one on one time with Awesome had ruined. He slips the hotel card into the lock and finds Sarah asleep in bed already. She stirs the minute he enters the room, ever the agent.

"Chuck?" her voice is thick with sleep.

"Yeah, it's me. Go back to sleep."

"Did you have fun?"

"Mmm," Chuck smiles. "Maybe too much."

Sarah sits up in bed, concerned. "Are you ok? Are you going to be sick?"

"Nah, I'm fine," he says and hopes it's true. "How was girl time with Ellie?"

Sarah grins. "Good. We watched a romantic comedy and gossiped. I really like your sister, Chuck."

Chuck's stomach flips at her words and he can't help the feeling of wistfulness that spreads through him. Without thinking, he leans over her and presses a kiss to her forehead, the second time he's done it today. "I'm glad."

Sarah falls back to sleep easily. Chuck attempts to lie down beside her but the room spins enough to make Chuck sick and he spends most of the night in the bathroom, his head on the cool tile.

--

The sun in LA seems far brighter than it had in New Orleans and even with sunglasses on, Chuck winces as they leave the airport. He's the one with the hangover now and the Advil hasn't helped a bit. What he really needs is a long nap in bed. His own bed. Alone.

Sarah drops everyone off at the Bartowski apartment. Chuck hangs back a bit, to say a private goodbye as a good boyfriend would, and Sarah offers to come in with him. "I can rub your back as you fall asleep," she suggests and Chuck thinks that's taking the girlfriend thing a little too far. Sleeping next to her had been heaven, he doesn't want to get used to it. That's a line he can't afford to blur.

"Thanks but no," he says and gets out of the car. He takes a step away from the car before pausing and turning back. He leans into the window and looks at Sarah. "Thank you for coming. I know it was a little beyond your jurisdiction as an agent to go to a college football game for an entire weekend, but I - I had a good time."

"Me too," Sarah says quietly, hoping he understands that she _means_ it. Since joining the CIA, she rarely has time for relaxation – the trip to Cabo with Bryce was the only vacation she's had in _years_ – and even if things aren't back to normal between her and Chuck yet (and maybe they never will be, it's a sad reality Sarah might have to face), he's the only person who could have given her such a wonderful weekend. His excitement was infectious, his sister and her boyfriend were perfect companions, and his boyish charm was endearing.

"It was good for the cover too," she adds as an afterthought. Sarah's positive the weekend cemented their relationship in Ellie and Awesome's eyes, finally banishing any doubts caused by their taking it slow, but she's not sure if it helped or hurt her own relationship with Chuck.

Chuck's face falters for a second, allowing Sarah to see something deeper, something she can't quite put a name to, before he nods. "Yup. See you tomorrow."

Chuck turns and walks into the courtyard. Sarah watches him until she can't see him anymore and then she drives away.

come away with me  
where they can't tempt us with their lies  
Norah Jones, Come Away With Me


	2. Snowed Under

**Title**: Snowed Under (2/6)  
**Series Title**: Five Times Chuck and Sarah share a bed for their cover (and one time they just do)**  
Rating**: PG-13  
**Pairing/Characters**: Chuck/Sarah, Nerd Herders, Morgan, minor guest appearance from Casey  
**Word Count**: 2900**  
Summary**: She's used to having a plan for everything, for having contingency plans for her plans, and somehow this assignment manages to blow the hinges off anything she thinks is under her control.  
**Spoilers/Warnings**: up to 1x11: Chuck vs. the Crown Vic  
**Disclaimer**: Everything belongs to NBC.I'm just playing during the writers' strike.**  
Author's Notes**: This is the second of five situations that Chuck and Sarah sleep together for their cover (plus one bonus story!) It's a little more dialogue heavy so I hope you find all the voices to be in character. Also: I know the idea of snow in LA is preposterous but I tried to make it as plausible as possible – the show has a lot of fun with some pretty silly ideas and this is one of mine

Sarah finds Chuck, the rest of the Nerd Herd, and Morgan in the home theatre room.

Chuck jumps up from his seat, his eyes wide. "Sarah!" he exclaims nervously. He pulls her into a hug and whispers, "No guns at Buy More!"

Using Chuck's body as a shield, Sarah slips her gun back into her bag. "No one was supposed to be in here," she whispers back. Thankfully no one had seen the gun in her hands. _That_ would have been hard to explain. Louder, she says, "What are you guys doing here?"

Lester finally looks away from the TV screen to address Sarah, his eyes lingering on her Weinerlicious outfit. "Call of Duty 4 tournament. There's a bracket. If you want in, it'll cost you."

Jeff leans over to Lester. "Easy money," he says.

Sarah looks at the TV screen where Morgan and Anna's characters are dressed in war gear carrying serious guns. It's almost too much like her real life. "Thanks but I'll pass. Why are you guys here though? I mean, with all the snow, shouldn't you have postponed this?"

That gets everyone's attention. Morgan pauses the game. "Snow? We live in LA, Sarah. Snow! Please."

"You guys really didn't hear?"

Chuck shifts from foot to foot, recognizing her serious voice. "Hear what?"

"This freak storm is coming in tonight. We're getting 4-6 inches tonight. There's already like 2 on the ground and it's coming down pretty heavy. No one watches the news? No customers mentioned it today?"

Chuck's eyes are wide. "There were hardly any customers today. We're really behind on work orders and Big Mike had us back by the cage, fixing computers."

Morgan shrugged. "I do my best to pass the days talking to no customers but still appearing busy. Today, I was very successful."

Lester pipes up. "Watching the weather is for old ladies and dorks. We're _nerds_." He narrows his eyes at Sarah. "There's really snow on the ground?"

"Yup," Sarah nods.

There's a beat where everyone looks at each other, the prospect of snow in Southern California forcing speechlessness upon them. Then Morgan yells, "SNOW!" and everyone rushes out of the home theatre room for the parking lot.

"Snow, Sarah!" Chuck grins at her as they follow everyone. "I can't even remember the last time we had snow. Wait a minute, yes I can. I was in elementary school and we got like an inch and it was enough for a snow day. It was before Mom left and she made us hot chocolate after Ellie and I had run around in it." Chuck's got a small smile on his face. "Wow, that was a long time ago."

They're interrupted by everyone coming back inside. "It's cold outside," Jeff tells them solemnly and shivers to prove it.

"Global warming, man. It's screwing up the environment – freak snow storms in LA, warm temperatures in Maine. Al Gore is laughing his ass off somewhere." Lester shakes his head in disgust. Whether it's disgust for global warming or Al Gore, Sarah isn't sure.

An idea pops into Chuck's head. "Sarah, how are we going to get home?"

"There's only a few inches on the ground, Chuck. I'm sure if we drive carefully, it'll be fine."

"Fine for you, maybe," Morgan interrupts. "But the rest of us aren't snow experts. Snow is new territory for us." Morgan grabs onto Chuck in a panic. "We're trapped here!"

"We're not trapped here, Morgan," Chuck laughs, prying Morgan's death grip off his arm. "Right, Sarah?"

"No, Chuck. If everyone drives slowly, we all will be fine."

Anna yells from the TV section. "The news is saying to stay put where ever you are. Roads are not in good condition and plows are going to be slow in coming."

"Very resourceful, honey, putting on the news," Morgan tells her with a wide eyed look. He turns back to Chuck. "The news says to stay put – weather _professionals_, Chuck."

Sarah smirks. "I thought the news was for dorks."

"Not in a life or death situation, Sarah." He gestures to Chuck, as if to say _where did you get her?_ "We're doomed!" Morgan yells.

"No, Morgan," Anna rolls her eyes. "We'll just sleep here."

Lester and Jeff look at each other. "We call the home entertainment room!" They high five each other. "Have fun on the floor suckers." They take off for the room in a run.

Morgan and Anna chase after them. Sarah turns to Chuck. "You realize this is a ridiculous suggestion. I am not sleeping in the Buy More."

Chuck scoffs. "Better the Buy More than crashing your car on snow slicked roads."

Sarah sighs, knowing it's not worth it to fight Chuck on this. "I have to call Casey. We were supposed to have a meeting tonight."

"Here? We were?"

"Not you. Just Casey and I." Sarah doesn't have to be an agent to see that Chuck feels disappointed and left out. But she can't help that sometimes her bosses want to talk to the true trained agents without Chuck there. She puts a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you go try to find us something to sleep on? Something other than the cold floor?"

Chuck nods and heads to the home entertainment room. Sarah sighs and pulls out her phone. "Casey, it's Sarah. Listen, you have to cancel the meeting tonight. The Nerd Herders and Morgan are here and they're not leaving because of the snow."

"So kick them out."

"I can't. They're afraid to drive. Snow's uncommon here, Casey."

"Fine. Then you leave and come here. We'll do it from my apartment."

Sarah hesitates, trying to come up with an excuse that doesn't make her look like an idiot. She can't think of one so she goes with the truth. "The news says to stay put because the roads are bad and Chuck's worried and no one wants to chance it …and I'm just staying here, ok?"

Casey laughs, low and mocking. "You do realize you're a government agent, right Walker? I didn't realize a little snow was all it took to scare you. Bartowski, fine. But you? I'll be sure to tell our bosses what's keeping you."

"Oh bite me, Casey." Sarah shuts her phone off in disgust.

Chuck's hovering in the background. Sarah turns to him. "Ok. So Lester and Jeff are sleeping in the big chairs in the home entertainment room. And Anna and Morgan called that couch, which is fine because it's not very big and we're both too tall to sleep on it so I just gave it to them. Only Anna refuses to sleep in the same area as Jeff because she thinks he's going to watch her sleep – and I think she's right – so we dragged the couch out of the home entertainment room to where the TVs are. And I just called Ellie to let her know I was OK and staying here tonight and Awesome said that he left a sleeping bag in my car for some reason so you can have that and I'll just find a desk chair and sleep in that."

Sarah bites her lip. Anna and Morgan were sleeping on the same couch because they were a couple. It would seem weird if Sarah and Chuck were not sleeping in the same space too, right? "Is the sleeping bag big?"

Chuck shrugs. "I think it's one of those hiking ones. If Awesome can fit in it, you'll be fine."

"Not for me. For both of us."

Chuck's eyes bug out a little. "Both -" he clears his throat. "Both of us?"

"Yes. We're a couple, right? Sharing a sleeping bag will help our cover." Chuck nods, slowly. "Great."

"Ahhh, okay. I'll just – go get the sleeping bag?" Chuck doesn't wait for a reply before he bolts for his car.

Sarah sighs as she watches him go. To be honest, there's no need to share a sleeping bag. It wouldn't be completely unreasonable for Chuck to be chivalrous and allow her the sleeping bag. Plus, their cover doesn't even need work with the Nerd Herders – none of them are important enough to warrant extra effort, except for Morgan, and she's pretty sure he's convinced Sarah and Chuck are together.

So why does she feel the need to share a sleeping bag with Chuck? She tells herself that it has absolutely nothing to do with the way he looks in the morning, rumpled and sleepy, as he smiles at her. Or how he felt next to her in New Orleans. And it's definitely unrelated to how loved she feels when she's cuddled into him.

Sarah closes her eyes. This is not at all how the assignment was supposed to go.

--

The only good thing about being stuck in the Buy More with the Nerd Herders is their propensity for food. Prior to the snow, they had ordered multiple pizza pies and bought lots of snacks to fuel their video gaming. Sarah has a decent time watching them play X-Box, munching on Cheese Doodles, and leaning into Chuck. She doesn't even mind the way Jeff stares at her as she licks the orange cheese off her fingers.

It's after one in the morning when she starts yawning heavily. Anna's already asleep on Morgan's shoulder and when Chuck suggests going to bed, Morgan nods his head in agreement. Sarah stifles a smile as Morgan tries to figure out how to carry Anna to the couch without waking her up and Anna tells him "I can walk Morgan" without opening her eyes.

Sarah shucks her shoes before crawling into the sleeping bag. She cannot believe she's actually sleeping in the Buy More – and in her stupid Weinerlicious outfit. She's used to having a plan for everything, for having contingency plans for her plans, and somehow this assignment manages to blow the hinges off anything she thinks is under her control.

Chuck takes off his belt, tie, and socks before getting into the sleeping bag beside her. It's a tight fit even if it is a larger than normal sleeping bag and there's a few awkward minutes of shifting around for both of them to get comfortable.

"No pillows," Sarah says ruefully.

"You can use my shoulder," Chuck suggests shyly.

Sarah lies her head down on his shoulder and the rest of her body follows. Their bodies are aligned from their heads to their toes and she has to put an arm around Chuck's torso for them to fit. She curses this idea at the same time that her traitorous body molds to Chuck's and relaxes.

Her feet brush Chuck's calves. He jerks and yells, "Sarah, your feet are freezing!"

She can hear Lester and Jeff laughing in the theatre room. "I'll warm them up," Jeff offers in his monotone voice.

"Ah-ha," Chuck forces a laugh. "That's – that's OK buddy. I have it under control."

Sarah grins impishly and deliberately puts her feet against his legs to warm them up. "Seriously Sarah," Chuck whispers. "Put on socks or something! They are like blocks of ice."

"I only have knee highs in my car," Sarah tells him and Chuck's brain goes to a bad place.

"Fine, never mind then," he says and his body is rigid under hers. Sarah shifts again, trying to find the comfortable place she had before Chuck accidently moved.

"Hey," yells Lester. "No sex in the champagne room!"

"What?" asks Chuck. "Lester, no one is having sex."

"Don't think we can't hear that sleeping bag rustling. One moan from you Bartowski and I'm going to be forced to get a video camera."

"O-kay Lester. I'll keep that in mind." Sarah's silently laughing, her body shaking against his.

Somehow, they all manage to fall asleep.

--

Sarah wakes up the next morning to the sound of plows in the parking lot. She can hear Jeff snoring and a quick glance around finds Anna and Morgan still asleep in what looks to be a very uncomfortable position on the couch. Chuck's awake though and his warm brown eyes meet hers.

"We're saved," she teases. Chuck smiles, his eyes hooded from sleep, and there's no earthly reason he should look as sexy as he does. "Did you sleep at all?"

Chuck shrugs. "Some."

"Sorry," Sarah says and shifts into a more comfortable position. The sleeping bag is warm and Chuck is like a furnace but she can't make herself get out of the sleeping bag. She nudges a leg in between his and rests her head more fully on his chest so that most of her body is lying on top of him. Chuck brings his arms around her, one hand on the small of her back, the other rubbing her shoulders gently.

"This is nice," he whispers and immediately panics. "I mean – it's nice because I like spending time with you, not it's nice because I'm enjoying this which, I mean, of course – "

"Chuck," Sarah interrupts. "I know."

Everything she has learned as an agent is telling her no no no but she can't stop herself as she leans up and captures Chuck's lips with her own. It's like having an out of body experience – one minute she's simply enjoying being held, the next minute she's leaning up to kiss Chuck without any real idea of how she got there or how to stop. Chuck tenses underneath her, confused and unsure, distracted by the thought of morning breath and all the pizza he ate last night. Sarah takes advantage of this, opening her mouth and touching her tongue to his closed lips. That spurs Chuck into action and he opens his mouth to her, deepening the kiss with touching tongues and hands heavy on her waist.

It's not the frenzied, desperate, life or death kiss they shared weeks ago, but it still has the same underlying passion. This kiss is sweet and maybe a little dirty too, the illicitness of it making the experience even more enjoyable. Not that Chuck needs any help, Sarah thinks. He may be a nerd but _god_, can he kiss.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Lester muses from somewhere up above them and it's a testament to Chuck that she's so distracted she hadn't heard him approach them.

"What? Lester, get that video camera out of here!" Morgan says from the couch and Sarah freezes, mortified. Her mind thinks of a million awful things that can come from a video tape of her kissing the Intersect – if Casey sees it, she's dead.

Chuck can feel the change in her even as Sarah shifts over in the sleeping bag, off Chuck. She surreptitiously fixes her outfit – _damn Chuck and his nimble finger__s!_ – and her ponytails. "Lester," she says in a faux calm voice and she makes sure she makes eye contact with him. He's still scared of her from the time he attempted to pick her up in the Weinerlicious. "Give me the tape."

"Make me," Lester smirks. His face falls as Sarah moves to get out of the sleeping bag and he remembers her cat like reflexes as she jumped on the Weinerlicious counter and wrapped her long legs around him. "Ah, ok, ok. There's no tape, see?" He opens the camera's tape deck and it's empty. "It was just a joke!"

Chuck, who had sat up in the sleeping bag at the words _video camera_, flops back down onto the hard ground. "We have to get going," he says flatly after a minute. "The store opens in a few hours."

"Yeah," Jeff agrees. "I need some French toast."

It's the type of non-sequitor everyone's used to from Jeff and Sarah simply ignores him. The air is cold as she gets out of the sleeping bag and puts on her shoes quickly. Chuck rolls up the sleeping bag and everyone ambles out to the parking lot. The parking lot is perfectly plowed but there's a general feeling of helplessness at the sight of snow on their cars.

Sarah helps Chuck clean off his car. "Are you sure you'll be OK to drive home? Because I can give you a ride if you want."

"I'll be fine," Chuck says evenly. He pauses and turns to her, his eyes flicking from the ground to her face. "Sarah – I have to ask. What was that before?"

Sarah knows he means the kiss. "I don't know," she tells him truthfully, her face miserable. It's one thing to have a fling with your partner when you both understand the risks. But Chuck didn't sign up for any of this, he's not a real agent, and even if he was, he's not the type to hook up arbitrarily without attachments.

"That's what I thought," Chuck says and he's miserable too. He gets in his car and powers down the window. "Oh, I forgot to tell you – dinner tonight at 7. Ellie's making my favorite."

"I'll be there," she tells him. She watches him back up and drive away before heading across the parking lot and getting into her own car. She sits there for a second before hitting the steering wheel in anger. "Damn!"

Sarah takes a deep breath and forces herself to drive home for a shower and a quick breakfast before another day at Weinerlicious. No, she thinks. This is not at all how the assignment was supposed to go.

there's a cold voice on the air.  
you've been looking everywhere  
for someone to understand your hopes and fears.  
well, i've thought about that for many long years...  
snowed under, keane


	3. Church Clothes

**Title**: Church Clothes (3/6)  
**Series Title**: Five Times Chuck and Sarah share a bed for their cover (and one time they just do)**  
Rating**: PG-13  
**Pairing/Characters**: Chuck/Sarah, Ellie, Awesome, guest appearance by Karina  
**Word Count**: 3275  
**Summary**: Plus, attending the wedding means staying in another hotel room together and if the kiss at the Buy More was any indication, she cannot trust herself in the same sleeping space as Chuck Bartowski.  
**Spoilers/Warnings**: up to 1x11: Chuck vs. the Crown Vic  
**Disclaimer**: Everything belongs to NBC.I'm just playing during the writers' strike.**  
Author's Notes**: This is the third of five situations that Chuck and Sarah sleep together for their cover (plus one bonus story!) There's a Friday Night Lights easter egg (stolen line) in here too for all you FNL fans :)

The invitation comes on a Tuesday. Ellie's sorting through the mail after dinner. "Chuck! Did you see these?"

Chuck turns from the TV show he's watching with Sarah. "See what?"

"Wedding invitations. Susie Kemple is getting married."

"Susie Kemple? Our cousin Susie Kemple?"

"Yes. In two weeks. We're both invited."

"Shotgun wedding," Chuck muses and Sarah hits him on the shoulder.

"Chuck, that's not a nice thing to say about your cousin," she admonishes him.

"No, it's probably right," Ellie says darkly. "She's a slut."

Chuck grins at his sister. "You're still mad that she hit on Awesome that one time."

"It was right in front of me!" snaps Ellie indignantly.

"Does this mean we don't have to go?" Chuck asks hopefully.

Ellie sets her jaw. "Oh, we're going. And I'm going to wear that dress I wore to the hospital's Christmas party and Devon and I are going to have a _great time_."

Chuck stares at her. "Ellie, you're scaring me."

Ellie softens. "Plus, we have to see the loser she roped into giving her a ring." She leaves the kitchen for her bedroom. "Hey, Devon?" she calls.

Chuck turns to Sarah. "My family, ladies and gentleman," he jokes. "Hey – " and just like that, with one word, he's serious again. "I understand if you don't want to come to this. Weddings are kind of crazy and intense and out of our cover realm and we can just tell Ellie that you have to work or something." He's not looking at her, has his eyes fixed on the wall behind her head, and he's so ready for her to agree and beg out of the wedding, it hurts Sarah to see.

Technically, she _should_ say no though. There's really no need for her to be there: it's not necessary for their cover and the odds of him flashing on something at a family wedding are slim to none. Plus, attending the wedding means staying in another hotel room together and if the kiss at the Buy More was any indication, she cannot trust herself in the same sleeping space as Chuck Bartowski.

"Are you kidding?" she tells him and god, she is so weak. How did she ever become an agent, anyway? "I want to see Ellie face off with your cousin."

The look of delight on Chuck's face is completely worth it.

---

Two weeks later, her cell phone sounds louder than normal in the quiet hotel room. Sarah glances at the closed bathroom door after looking at the caller ID.

"Where are you? I'm standing in your room and you're not here."

Sarah grits her teeth at Karina's intrusion to her apartment. "That's because I'm not in LA."

"Oh, did you get rid of that drab assignment? Good for you."

"No, I'm in Newport with Chuck."

"On a mission?"

Sarah hesitates. "No," she finally admits. "We're at his cousin's wedding."

"You're the geek's plus one to his cousin's wedding in Newport." It's a statement, not a question and Karina's voice could not possibly sound more incredulous. It's a talent, Sarah thinks, to be able to accomplish such disdain by repeating words already spoken. Karina pauses. "Well, wedding guest sex _is_ always really good."

"Karina!"

"Oh, my god. You're not sleeping with him. Well, I'm impressed Sarah."

"And why is that?"

"Sarah, you need me to spell it out? Well, fine – you've always had a certain … attraction to partners, that's all. Unless you're sleeping with Casey?"

"I'm not sleeping with anyone, Karina. I'm a professional. I have an assignment. I'm here, doing my job."

"Well, you're not _doing_ your job," leers Karina. "I don't know what you're being so uptight about. It helps break up the monotony. Why do you think Casey keeps coming back, even after Prague? Everyone does it."

"Well, not Chuck and I. This is just our cover."

Sarah can practically hear Karina's eye roll. "Your cover does not need any work. The way he looks at you …" Sarah says nothing, doesn't allow herself to get pulled into a back and forth about Chuck's feelings for her. "Well, suit yourself. Personally, I think if you're going to be stuck in a lederhosen rotating hot dogs all day while waiting on a computer geek to flash on super secret government information, you owe it to yourself to liven it up a little. Plus, it'd give him a thrill. He wouldn't know what hit him."

"And that's why it's not going to happen."

"All right, all right," Karina back off but she knows she's gotten under Sarah's skin. "But if you do happen to sleep with him, gimme a progress report. If he's any good, maybe I'll look him up next time I'm in LA instead of you." She hangs up without letting Sarah retort.

Sarah jams the end button with her thumb and drops the phone angrily onto the dresser.

"Who was that?" asks Chuck from behind her and Sarah has to stop herself from jumping in surprise. She turns and finds Chuck emerging from the bathroom in his suit pants and a crisp white dress shirt. He has two ties in his hands and he holds them up for her to choose.

"Weinerlicious," Sarah lies, hoping he only heard the last part of the conversation. He doesn't call her bluff and she points to the blue and grey stripped tie in his left hand. "They wanted me to come in tomorrow but I told them I couldn't."

Chuck nods and looks into the mirror to put on his tie. Sarah goes back to doing her make-up in the same mirror. She can't help but wonder what it would be like to get ready in the same space everyday. She lets herself daydream for a few minutes about putting on makeup, choosing clothes, fixing her hair, all while talking and laughing with Chuck. It's just the right sort of routine she wants sometimes, the kind of routine she wants more and more these days. It's a dangerous feeling.

She sighs. _You are the worst agent ever, Walker_, she tells herself sternly.

Chuck finishes with his tie and sits on the bed to watch her finish with her make-up. "I cannot believe we are going to this wedding."

"Your family can't be that bad."

"They're not bad," Chuck hedges. "We're just not close. This is my mom's side and after she left, we really only kept in sporadic touch."

Sarah doesn't know what to say so she doesn't say anything. She gives her lashes a final swipe of mascara and announces, "I'm ready."

Chuck jumps up from the bed and gives her a once over. Sarah knows what he sees: a long emerald green dress with a conservative neckline but a plunging back that hugs her curves. Her blonde hair is long and loose, a perfect compliment to the green color, and she has small diamond jewelry accenting her ears and wrists. He's seen her dressed up a hundred times but she'll never get used to the way Chuck's eyes widen slightly or the way his mouth curves into a gentle smile or how he tilts his head and just _appreciates_.

"You're gorgeous," he breathes.

Sarah blushes. It's been a long time since anyone has said that to her and meant it as seriously as Chuck. "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself," she teases and reaches a hand up to fix his tie. She thinks of the hundreds of other times she's done the same thing, at the Buy More and before missions, and wonders why this time it feels different. Not different like the time he had stepped out of her reach when they were going to that gambling event but different like she is hoping he'd step _closer_.

Their eyes hold for a second, brown ones meeting blue ones, and Sarah knows she's not imagining how thick the room feels with tension.

Chuck blinks and the spell is broken. He steps back from her abruptly. "We should get going," he says and his voice isn't quite steady.

"Yeah," Sarah says and grabs her coat.

--

The ceremony is quick and easy ("just like Susie," mutters Chuck when Sarah tells him) and the reception generally consists of meeting family members Chuck's never mentioned and making polite conversation. Most of the relatives seem fairly shocked that Sarah is Chuck's girlfriend and she tries not to feel angry on his account. He may be a little socially retarded but he's got a good soul and he's funny and charming and loyal too. And he looks really good in a suit. Like, really good.

Thankfully, Ellie and Awesome come back from the buffet line and interrupt that line of thinking. "You look very pretty," Sarah tells her and she's not sure why she constantly feels shy around her. Even after bonding in New Orleans, there's something intimidating about the older woman, which is sort of ridiculous because Ellie has been nothing but friendly to her. There's a part of Sarah that sometimes is jealous of how confident Ellie is in her job and her family and her life. Sarah used to feel like that, a while ago, and now she struggles every day to find that confidence. Not necessary the skills set part of her job, she's one of the CIA's best agents and has brought down hundreds of bad guys, but the constant moving and lying and always keeping people at arms length part takes more and more effort these days. Sarah's not confident in the direction she wants to go in anymore and that's the most dangerous thing that can happen to an agent. It can make her sloppy and it can make her negligent and it can get her killed.

She's putting herself and Casey and Chuck in a bad position and there's really only one solution. Except that it's really the last thing she wants to do.

The DJ puts on Mariah Carey's Hero and Chuck groans. "This DJ is the worst."

"I love this song!" Sarah and Ellie exclaim together. They both turn to their dates and speak together again. "Come on, let's dance." Surprised, they turn to each other and laugh.

"This is not good," Chuck mutters darkly at the sight of the two giggling together. Sarah ignores him and drags him onto the dance floor. Chuck's not a dancer but slow dancing doesn't really require much skill. He just prays the close proximity doesn't cause him to do anything stupid.

He rests his hands lightly at the nape of Sarah's neck in a slightly possessive hold and Sarah inches close to him. Sarah hums a few bars of the song, laughing at Chuck's pained expression. "This song reminds me of senior prom," he says.

"Good memories or bad memories?" Sarah asks.

Chuck gives her a half smile. "Mostly good. I went with Meghan Monaghan. She was in my English class and I think I was in love with her."

Something in his smile triggers Sarah's interest. "Chuck, tell me you're not a prom cliché. Tell me you didn't lose your virginity to your senior prom date on prom night."

Chuck can't come up with a witty response fast enough and Sarah groans. "Chuck! I expected better of you."

Chuck straightens his back. "It was a magical night," he tells her solemnly before breaking out a grin of his own. "Well, what about you? What experience did you have that was so much better than mine?"

Sarah leans into Chuck, her heels putting her in reach of his ears. She whispers, "Chuck, I don't know if you know this but – I'm a virgin." She leans back and Chuck's jaw drops.

"Really? I never would have thought … I mean, that's great. Wait, seriously?"

Sarah tries to keep the joke up but she can't. Chuck's face is so incredulous and he's trying so hard to be diplomatic about it, she takes pity on him. Sarah shakes her head and bursts out laughing, loud enough to draw stares from fellow dances. She sees Ellie smile at them from across the room and she gives her a little finger wave. "No, Chuck. It was a joke."

"Well, it wasn't very funny."

"I know, I'm sorry. I told you I wasn't funny." Sarah shifts closer and lays her head on his chest. He reaches a hand up to smooth her hair down and Sarah resists the urge to sigh in contentment. The best part is Chuck doesn't even realize she's eluded giving out personal information yet again.

--

Sarah and Ellie tag team Chuck into dancing for most of the night. Awesome plays along too, joking that Chuck really needs a tango to display his dancing skills and Sarah wonders not for the first time how exactly that teaching session went down. Even with being forced to dance, Chuck's a good sport about it; he is at least more comfortable now with Sarah than the first time they danced, more willing to make a fool of himself. Not that it takes much, of course.

Sarah has a blast with him, more fun than she's ever had at a wedding before. She can't help but compare Chuck and Bryce sometimes, beyond the obvious ones like how Chuck is so much less smooth than Bryce was. Bryce was dangerous and spontaneous and being with him was like being on one big constant rollercoaster. She had thought she loved him and maybe she had, but they were the type of couple that fueled their relationship on adventure and intrigue and Sarah sometimes found herself lost in the silence between assignments.

Chuck's the polar opposite. The adventure and danger's too much for him most of the time and he's most comfortable in the moments where the quiet threatens to overwhelm him. He doesn't lead a glamorous or dramatic life but he's OK with his small, tight group of family and friends who would do anything for each other. He's a wimp when faced with most situations but he always manages to persevere and come out unscathed on the other side. Chuck makes Sarah feel safe – not in the I'll protect you way but in the way that he gives her something she thought she hadn't wanted, something she thought she had left behind years ago and maybe that's the entire basis of his appeal: his normality.

After a while, they take a break from dancing to get water and get some air. As they walk towards the lobby, they pass a supply closet on the way and Sarah acts before she even realizes it. She pulls him into it and closes the door behind him, ensconcing them in darkness. "Sarah, what -?"

She finds Chuck in the darkness and pushes him against the wall. He reaches his arms out to stead himself and grabs onto her arms. Sarah leans against him and fuses her lips to his because she can't find the words to explain how she feels and she hopes this is enough.

(It's not enough, it'll only confuse him more and will break the tenuous balance they have between the unspoken real attraction and their cover relationship but weddings have always screwed with Sarah's emotions and just once, she'd like to do something she wants rather than something she should.)

It's a passionate kiss, deep and wet and _perfect_. It's a kiss that hints at hours spent between hotel sheets and do not disturb signs on the door. It's a kiss that causes Chuck to grab at Sarah, wrap one of her legs around him and tilt their hips together. It's a kiss that makes Sarah push his suit jacket to the floor, needing to get rid of that layer in an effort closer to him.

Chuck's hands are everywhere, against her bare back, ghosting over her butt, fisting in her hair. Even when confronted with a kiss like this, a kiss that speaks of unrespectable things, he manages to keep his hands in mostly respectable places. She arches into him so there's no space between them and twists her body, silently giving him permission to put his hands anywhere. She rubs wantonly against him, feeling his arousal hard against her hip, and he responds by kissing her more passionately, clutching her tighter, as if at any moment Sarah is going to step back and declare this a mistake.

Sarah's so far from that reality, it's unbelievable, and her hands are at his waist, untucking his shirt, when the door opens, flooding the supply closet with light. Sarah blinks in the sudden harsh light.

"Oops, we didn't realize this closet was occupied!" comes a distinctly female voice. Sarah squints and steps gingerly away from Chuck, aware of what they must look like: disheveled and well-kissed.

"Hi, Susie," Chuck says and it is Chuck's cousin, her wedding dress taking over most of the doorway. Her new husband stands behind her, grinning lecherously at Chuck and Sarah.

Susie cocks her head and stares at Sarah. "I don't think we met," she says and her voice is high and childlike. "I'm Susie, Chuck's cousin."

Sarah smoothes her dress down, the rumpled silk her scarlet letter. "Sarah, Chuck's girlfriend. Congratulations on your marriage," she adds weakly.

"Thanks!" squeaks Susie. "Well, we'll just be going then." She winks at Chuck and closes the door, leaving them in darkness again. Now Sarah knows that they are surrounded by toilet paper and paper towels and liquid soap, she feels _stupid_. Sarah sits down heavily on a stack of paper towels and blows out a sigh. She's embarrassed, mostly, and immensely relieved that Susie interrupted when she did because it was certainly going in a bad direction.

"Was your cousin going to consummate her marriage in this supply closet?" Sarah asks and it's the only thing she can think to say that doesn't involve the words sorry or Intersect.

Chuck wrinkles his brow. "I think she was." He sounds both incredulous and disgusted. There's a beat where they both think about that and then they burst out laughing.

--

There's nothing to do but head up to the hotel room after that. Sarah touches Chuck's arm after he's opened the door and he jerks away from her as if he's been burned. "Sarah," he says and his voice is rough and husky. "Please just – don't touch me right now. I won't be responsible for my actions."

There was a time in her life that Sarah would have been proud that she could cause such a reaction in a man with just a vigorous make out session. Now, she just feels sad. Sarah slinks over to her suitcase and pulls out her pajamas. Chuck does the same and slips into the bathroom, muttering something about a cold shower.

Sarah turns on the TV and flips around without actually seeing the images on the screen. She has no idea how long she sits there, thinking but not coming up with answers. Chuck comes out of the shower a long time later, his face pink from the cold water, and he refuses to look at her. Sarah knows he's bursting with questions, that the emotional rollercoaster she's put him through is taking a toll on his mental and physical patience, that he feels she's being a tease and toying with his emotions.

"Chuck," she says. He looks at her, his face a mask. "I really like you."

His smile is brilliant and there's a lot to still figure out – things like compromising the Intersect and her career at the CIA – but when Sarah falls asleep cuddled into Chuck's arms, none of that matters.

and I don't know anymore,  
wish someone would tell me who to be.  
because I'm ready, I'm ready to try anything….

I want to be brand new, I want to trade in these wings,  
mine don't work like yours do.

church clothes, matt nathanson


	4. Comforting Lie

**Title**: Comforting Lie (4/6)  
**Series Title**: Five Times Chuck and Sarah share a bed for their cover (and one time they just do)  
**Rating**: PG-13/R  
**Pairing/Characters**: Chuck/Sarah, Casey  
**Word Count**: 4451  
**Summary**: He's a guy, he's certainly thought about having sex with Sarah, thought about it a lot and in many different ways, but having his first time with her be so some drug dealer would buy their cover was definitely not one of them.**  
Spoilers/Warnings**: up to **1x11**: Chuck vs. the Crown Vic  
**Disclaimer**: Everything belongs to NBC.I'm just playing during the writers' strike.**  
Author's Notes**: This is the fourth of five situations that Chuck and Sarah sleep together for their cover (plus one bonus story!) I am sorry this is delayed. It was on pace to be done by late morning on Tuesday but my grandmother fell ill on Sunday and was admitted to the hospital and it has been a huge, worrisome ordeal, and I was unable to concentrate for a few days to write. And then when I needed something else to focus my energy on and the words started flowing, they wouldn't stop – this chapter's over 4000 words long and has even gone in a slightly different direction than I had envisioned!

That being said, I hope that this chapter stands up the expectations all of you have – the amount of overwhelmingly positive reviews for Chapter 3 left me with a smile on my face for days. I've really enjoyed writing this story and it's wonderful to hear so many people are enjoying it right along with me – so thanks everyone for the reviews and the support!

--

Casey makes a comment that changes everything.

After coming back from the wedding with Chuck, Sarah does some soul searching. She'd like to pretend that she can do her job and still be attracted to Chuck and that the two are mutually exclusive but that is a pretense that holds more danger than intrigue. Being in a relationship with Bryce was fine because they were both professionals. He was capable of protecting himself and was able to put the job first in required situations. Chuck's not, he isn't trained in the same ways Bryce was, and the closer they get emotionally and physically, the more Sarah is risking. She doesn't want to take a chance that Chuck's feelings will screw a mission up like the Lon Kirk thing or that she'll make the wrong decision in an attempt not to hurt Chuck, or, maybe worst of all, that Casey will catch on and report her.

And if that happens, it will certainly get her kicked off the case and maybe even out of covert operations. The CIA can turn a blind eye to partner-partner relations but partner-assignment relations are certainly out of the question.

Sarah knows what she must do. She has to ask for a reassignment. It's a crappy option and not one she's eager to do but it's either that or give up her job completely and become a civilian. And as much as she wants the normality Chuck possesses, the thought of giving up her job – the one thing she's been good at for years – is far scarier than her desire for Chuck.

Except then Casey makes the comment, the one that is under his breath and as he's turning away but Sarah hears enough, hears the tone and a few key words, and she understands that Chuck's life is in danger.

This automatically means a reassignment is out of the question. Sara has had no instructions to allow this to happen and her job since day one has always been to protect Chuck. She'll be damned if she backs out at the very moment when Chuck needs her most.

Unfortunately, before Sarah can ask Casey about his comment, General Beckman appears on the screen in front of them for a briefing. Sarah and Casey turn to attention and go over the latest mission details based on a Chuck flash. Sarah goes through the motions, her mind still reeling from the implications of Casey's comment, until General Beckman speaks. "As you may know, the CIA and the NSA have been working on getting another Intersect up and running. Progress is going extremely well and it should be ready shortly."

Sarah's mouth goes dry. "And what will happen to Chuck at this time?"

"We are still working on that," General Beckman says vaguely and Sarah knows she is not imagining the subtle look Beckman gives Casey or the way Casey tenses ever so slightly. They're going to kill him, Sarah realizes in that instant and it takes all of her agent training to school her face not to move from the same blank stare it's been in all meeting. She shouldn't be surprised. Chuck is a major national threat in the eyes of the government and Casey's always been a killer. But Sarah _is_ surprised -- and also disappointed in herself for becoming too comfortable in this assignment that she didn't see, or at least suspect, that this was a viable and appealing option to the government.

The meeting ends and Sarah watches Casey for a moment. His face gives away nothing as he puts away the computer equipment and she knows he will not tell her of his orders. They either came on a need-to-know basis and she's not on that list or they are NSA only. Sarah is leaning more towards the second reason because this has been a joint project from the beginning (well, as soon as they realized Chuck _was_ the Intersect) and there's no real reason she wouldn't need to know of a plan to terminate the project.

They've been partners all these months but right now, in the moment, Sarah knows they're rivals again, members of different groups of the US government who only get along for the sake of the Intersect. And now that Casey has orders to kill the Intersect, they're back on their separate sides.

It's only a matter of time before the new Intersect is up. Sarah's literally racing against a clock, but she doesn't know how long she has to run or even if she'll be informed when the race is over.

Sarah gives Casey her normal goodbye and leaves his apartment quickly. She hopes he hasn't picked up on the fact that she has cottoned on to his orders – Sarah thinks she's a better actress than that – but Casey's always been frighteningly perceptive.

She gets into her car. "Think Sarah, think," she tells herself and it doesn't even bother her that even when she's alone, she refers to herself as Sarah. Because, really: she's never been more herself than she is as Sarah.

She puts her car into drive and heads to her apartment to devise a plan.

--

Two hours later, Sarah puts down her cell phone and sighs. She's run through every contact in the CIA she has, called in almost every favor she's owed but she finally has a name: Dr. Alexander Harlo. He's the most promising lead she has to deactivate Chuck's brain in a non-violent way. He's Zarnow's equivalent in the CIA, has consulted with Professor Fleming on image based codes before, and, pending Director Graham's OK, is interested in meeting with Chuck and seeing what he can do to help.

Sarah knows Director Graham will not be pleased she took initiative to find a solution but she's banking on the fact that he doesn't know of the NSA's plans for Chuck. An element of surprise is always important in her line of work and could mean the difference between his agreement and her being reprimanded for disobeying orders.

She's right on the surprise aspect, Graham's speechless when she tells him her suspicions. But he doesn't quite get on board with her plan for the Intersect. "Walker, Bartowski is running around with government secrets in his head," he reminds her, as if she doesn't deal with it on a daily basis. "What if Dr. Harlo is unsuccessful? Or only partially successful? We cannot allow Bartowski to remain the Intersect without opening the country up to a severe breach of intel."

Sarah thinks of Bryce's words to Fleming. "I understand that, Director, but I have studied the subject for months now. I have a comprehensive handle on the type of person he is and what he is capable of and I strongly feel that Chuck is not a malicious person. He is a good person, a person who didn't ask for this, who has coped with being used for government missions very well. He has had to lie to all of his closest friends for months and never once has he complained about the sacrifices he has to make. It would be a disgrace to the country's sense of dignity and honor if we were to kill him in cold blood after all he has done for us."

Graham is silent for a long while. Sarah wonders if she has gone too far, if she was too forceful in her words. She braces herself from the consequences when she hears Graham give a barely audible sigh. "Fine. We will give this a try. Harlo will have a CIA guard at all times, so we don't have another Zarnoff mishap, and I will discuss this with Beckman. We have to make sure we do not force them into any sudden movements. Do nothing until I give you the OK."

Sarah thanks him and hangs up. She feels both better and worse. What she just did – called in favors, found an alternative solution to a problem – went against everything she has ever been taught in agent training. As an agent, she must follow orders, not suggest them. Sarah blows out a breath and hopes it all can end well, even if it comes at the expense of the already tenuous relationship between the NSA and CIA.

Sarah takes a look at the time and begins to get ready for the mission – maybe Chuck's last ever.

--

The mission is pretty simple: they are going after an elusive gun runner, Curtis Carter, who is planning to smuggle a massive amount of guns into the country. Sarah and Chuck's role is to find out how and when. Their cover is a newlywed couple, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carmichael, who are staying in the honeymoon suite, thanks to the room's proximity to the drug dealer's own suite. Casey will be working as a member of the hotel staff.

It's supposed to be a pretty fast mission – with any luck, they won't even have to stay the night. They simply have to break into the hotel room, search anything that might give them a clue, and get out. The cover is simply to give them a legitimate reason for being on the floor in case they are seen.

After checking in, Sarah and Chuck head up to the top floor, where both their suite and Carter's are located. Chuck stays back by the elevator with their luggage while Sarah knocks on Carter's room loudly. After a few tense seconds, it becomes apparent that there is going to be no answer and Sarah quickly pulls out a plain white hotel card attached to a small keypad from her purse. She inserts the card into the suite's door, types a number sequence into the keypad, and waits for it to find the correct code to unlock the door.

Chuck suddenly moves at the end of the hall. He pulls the luggage towards Sarah and calls out, "Hon, I don't think that's our room."

Sarah barely has enough time to put the lock picking device back in her purse and pull out a real hotel card before Carter and several bodyguards round the corner just after Chuck. Chuck's panting as he hurries down the hall towards her.

Sarah flips her hair and giggles. "Oops," she says. "I'm just so eager to get inside. I guess I got the numbers mixed up!"

Chuck turns back to Carter, a huge hulk of a man. "We're newlyweds," he offers as an explanation. "You know how it is." Carter does nothing to indicate he heard either Sarah or Chuck and continues to stare at them. Chuck nervously puts his hand on Sarah's back and ushers her down the hall to their own suite.

Neither notice the white hotel keycard connected to a thin black wire peeking out of Sarah's purse.

--

Forced to sit and wait out Carter, Sarah and Chuck spend the afternoon watching movies and cuddling in the room. They are mostly silent, enjoying each others' company and waiting for Casey's word that Carter's suite is empty. Sarah is also waiting for Graham to give her the go ahead to tell Chuck of the new development in his case, either the NSA's orders or her own findings, and she's a little tense as a result. If Chuck notices, he says nothing but Sarah does how soothing his fingers feel as he traces small circles on her back while she lays with her head in his lap.

Sarah's stomach growls in the middle of Batman Begins and Chuck laughs. "Looks like we have to get you some food," he says. "Room service or restaurant?"

Sarah's feeling a little stir crazy from sitting still all afternoon. She's never been good at being inactive and coupled with the copious amounts of close proximity to Chuck, she's feeling a little light headed. "Restaurant," she says firmly. "We'll be able to reconvene with Casey that way."

They've packed for literally anything at Sarah's insistence and so they change into business casual attire – Sarah in a red satin blouse and a black skirt, Chuck in a suit – and head to the restaurant downstairs. Several members of Carter's posse are seated in a table across the room. Sarah quickly does a head count and realizes with disappoint someone has been left behind in the room. She also notices that their entrance catches Carter's attention. _Not good to be on the subject's radar,_ she thinks.

Chuck and Sarah hold hands and whisper to each other over the meal, playing a newlywed couple fairly convincingly. Carter's table leaves shortly before they do and heads back upstairs. "Looks like we're in for the long haul," Chuck notes and he's not sure if he's supposed to be disappointed at how long the mission is dragging out. Secretly, he's excited about spending another night in a hotel with Sarah. So far, that experience has not let him down.

Sarah excuses herself to go to the bathroom while "Mr. Carmichael" settles the bill. Casey appears out of nowhere and follows her in. They quickly make sure the stalls are empty. "They're suspicious of you two," Casey tells her urgently. "I don't know what you did to draw attention to yourselves – I'm sure it was something Bartowski did - but I saw someone sneak into your room. I went in afterwards, and checked the room – it's bugged. You two are going to have to be very careful with what you say. And you're going to have to do some acting."

Sarah was afraid of this, suspected it from the moment Carter watched them walk into the restaurant. "I understand. I'll tell Chuck."

Casey catches her as she turns to leave, his grip bordering on painful. "Do you think he can do this? Because if he can't, we have to get out of here immediately."

Sarah peels Casey's fingers off her arm. "He'll be fine."

Chuck's waiting for her at the table and gives her a brilliant smile. They head towards the elevator and Sarah's relieved to see they are the only ones in the car. "Chuck, Casey just told me that our room has been bugged. We apparently caught Carter's attention and they are suspicious."

Chuck's eyes are wide. "Sarah, what are we going to do?"

"Nothing," she says firmly. "Running would only draw attention to us further. We're going to go back to our room and continue to wait out Carter. We can't leave and risk the chance that they go out tonight – it might be our only chance to get the information before it's too late. But Chuck, I have to tell you, whoever is listening is going to expect to hear certain things."

"Like what?"

"Well, our cover is newlyweds. So, technically, they'll probably be anticipating certain, ahem, sounds." She flushes pink and can't remember the last time she felt so embarrassed.

"Sex," Chuck says flatly.

"Yes."

"Are you telling me we have to have sex for the sake of our cover?" He's a guy, he's certainly thought about having sex with Sarah, thought about it a lot and in many different ways, but having his first time with her be so some drug dealer would buy their cover was definitely not one of them.

"No!" Sarah blurts out. "No. We have a few options. We can either have a huge fight and pretend we're mad at each other or we can make noises and sort of fake it and hope it convinces them or we can, uh, start it and then have a distraction occur."

Chuck swallows and looks at Sarah. "I think," he starts and his voice cracks. "I think that we have to, well, uh, I think we have to start it. It'd be the most convincing. And I know what that guy is capable of, I flashed on him in the hallway, and I just really don't want someone as dangerous as him suspecting me of anything."

"Great," Sarah says, relieved. It is the most convincing option, in terms of the mission, and Sarah privately knows it will be the most fun. She's already set up a diversion plan with Casey anyway, so it all works out. The elevator reaches their destination and Sarah gives Chuck a nod and an encouraging smile. They hold hands as they giggle down the hallway and make sure they are loud as they stubble into their hotel room.

"Where are you going?" Chuck asks when Sarah heads for her suitcase and pulls something out.

"I have a surprise for you, Mr. Carmichael," she flirts and closes the bathroom door behind her.

"I'll bet you do, Mrs. Carmichael," Chuck whispers to himself and feels awkward in the large room by himself. He takes off his shoes, suit jacket, and tie and after some deliberation, his collared shirt as well. He sits on the bed in his suit pants and undershirt and is about to turn on the TV just to break the heavy silence when the sound of the bathroom door opening makes him turn.

Sarah emerges and leans seductively against the door frame: hip jutted, chest forward, hand twirling a piece of her tossled hair. Chuck's not sure what she was thinking when she packed this but he finds he really doesn't care. She's wearing a short, black babydoll that's made of sheer material with a small black bra and matching panties underneath. It's similar to the one she wore in Chuck's bedroom in some ways, with its deep v-neck that maximizes her cleavage and the way the short length accentuates her long legs but there is a pink bow at the base of the V, in the middle of the cups, and Chuck's brain just about explodes when he realizes it isn't a bow but a _tie_.

"Sarah," he breathes and god, is that voice his?

Sarah smiles at him. "See something you like?" she purrs. She walks towards him slowly and Chuck thinks of a panther advancing on its prey.

He remembers he's supposed to be married to this beauty, that he should be used to seeing Sarah in outfits like this, that he shouldn't be acting like this is his first time. "Come here," he tells her, trying to sound authoritative and not nervous like he really is, and she kneels in front of him on the bed, straddling his stretched out legs. He sits up and scoots closer to her, caressing her face gently.

"You are so beautiful," he tells her and leans forward to kiss her.

Sarah's beginning to get used to the feel of Chuck's lips on hers and it's a feeling that both excites and scares her. Chuck's mouth is warm and his hands are hot as he brings them to tangle in her hair, to slide down the silky material of the lingerie, to rest gently on her butt. Sarah presses herself into him, enjoying the feel of his hard body against hers and she uses the momentum to push them back onto the mattress.

It squeaks slightly and Sarah's glad because that will be an obvious sound for whoever is listening but she stops thinking of the bug when Chuck moves his mouth to her neck, his tongue flicking briefly over her exposed skin. He does it again, nuzzling her skin, before sucking hard. Sarah draws in a shaky breath at the sensations that run through her and Chuck knows he's found something. He keeps one hand around her waist, holding her tight to him, and moves the other to play with one of the straps on the babydoll. He moves it back and forth on her slowly, all the while keeping up the slow torture he's conducting on her neck, and he feels like the king of the world when Sarah clenches his shoulders and moans slightly.

Sarah slides her hands under Chuck's shirt, moving her hands up his chest, and makes it clear she wants the shirt gone. He sheds it quickly and it's the first time Sarah's even seen him without a shirt on. She's shocked at the body he's been hiding under there but also very pleased.

Chuck melds their mouths together again and whatever gentleness there was before is gone now. Each kiss is fervent and passionate, full of everything they've ever felt but haven't been able to capitalize on. Sarah's surprised by how demanding Chuck is – he commands control and exerts confidence in everything he's doing. It's not a side of him she would have expected but it's wonderful to be able to do this, to be able to kiss him without abandon and find out, and Sarah once again wishes this could be a more frequent occurrence.

Sarah moves into uncharted territory with Chuck. She's no longer thinking about bugs or drug dealers or who is listening but there are audible sounds as she undoes Chuck's belt buckle, pushes the pants down his hips and throws them off the bed. She kisses him again and moves to straddle him, her legs on either side of his body. Now, there are very thin barriers between them and Sarah can feel exactly what this is doing to Chuck. She rocks her hips forward, mimicking their mouth's movements, and he groans loudly in her ear.

"Fuck, Sarah," he hisses as she does it again and Chuck's very close to becoming unhinged if he's cursing. He doesn't tell her to stop however, just digs his fingers into her hips and meets her movements with one of his own. Sarah lets out a gasp herself, her eyes fluttering close for a second, and when they open, they meet Chuck's.

And then suddenly, a loud screeching noise fills the room, startling Chuck and Sarah in the quiet bedroom. It's the fire alarm, the distraction she set up with Casey, and Sarah mentally curses herself because she _knew_ it was coming and she was still surprised, thanks to being wrapped up in Chuck. _Another reason you need to ask for a reassignment_, she thinks to herself.

"Fire," she tells him, for the sake of whoever is listening.

"Ignore it," Chuck suggests with a crooked smile and husky voice. He pulls her to him again and puts his lips to her neck, to her newly discovered sweet spot, and for a second, Sarah almost gives in. But she knows that would lead to Casey coming into the room and she certainly doesn't want him seeing her half naked, on top of a mostly naked Chuck.

She reluctantly pulls herself off Chuck, giving him an apologetic smile as she throws him jeans and a sweatshirt. She finds some clothes and shoes for herself and grabs the small bag with all the spy stuff they might need. Chuck is visibly uncomfortable as he zippers up his tight jeans and he mutters something under his breath about interruptions and typical and Sarah wishes she could tell him how she feels just as frustrated as he does.

Sarah and Chuck enter Carter's suite carefully. It's empty but they stay silent, just in case he has bugged his own room. Sarah's found gun runners to be a notoriously paranoid group. They ransack the suite efficiently, looking for a computer or anything that would hold instructions but it becomes obvious quickly that they are out of luck. Sarah realizes with a sinking heart that Carter must have grabbed his computer at the sound of the alarm. This, of course, renders their plan useless -- and it's already a Plan B.

Chuck waves her over to the large, expensive couch in the living room area. He's taken off the cushions, looking for anything that might have accidently fallen through and he triumphantly shows her a sleek, silver Blackberry in his hand. Sarah realizes it must have fallen out of someone's pocket and into the couch. Chuck's familiar with the model, it's the same one Lou had, and he hacks into it quickly, running through folders and emails far faster than Sarah ever would be able to. After a few tense minutes, Chuck looks at her and holds the Blackberry out for her to look at the screen. She's reasonable sure what she's looking at is a date and coordinates so she gives Chuck a silent high five and motions for them to leave.

They slip out a side door from the hotel and join the throng of guests milling around in the cool evening air. Sarah locates Casey in the melee and slips the Blackberry to him. He'll take it to their bosses and have the information retrieved and verified.

The fire department gives the all clear to go back inside soon after that. "We have to stay the night," Sarah tells him as they follow everyone inside. "It's the least suspicious course of action. And if it turns out what we found was useless, we need to still be here as a cover to go back in."

Chuck nods and the unspoken question is in his eyes. Sarah cuts him off before he can ask it. "I think we gave them enough of a show before," she tells him and Chuck's grin is positively lecherous. "We'll just feign exhaustion. They'll probably be too busy setting up whatever operation they have going on in there to listen to us anyway." Sarah decides this mostly because she knows if they start again, she's going to be powerless to stop … and there's no distraction set up to interrupt them this time.

Sarah sleeps in the babydoll, just in case "Carter suspects us and comes in." She cuddles into him, her head on his shoulder, one leg thrown over his, and Chuck cannot find a place to put his hand that does not involve bare skin or an inappropriate body part. He does not sleep well at all.

--

Sarah and Chuck have a nice, leisurely breakfast and then they checkout after there's been no word from Casey. The agent materializes as they are getting into Sarah's car. "NSA was able to successfully derive the codes from the Blackberry and are currently working with the Coast Guard to stop Carter," he tells Sarah. He turns to Chuck, who is putting the luggage in the trunk. "Good work Bartowski. The tech guy said the stuff was buried in the Blackberry and not just anyone would have been able to retrieve it."

Chuck's pleased by the praise, however grudging it may be. "Thanks Casey," he grins.

Sarah watches Casey interact with Chuck. Casey's a rough, closed off guy, someone who isn't prone to attachments, the epitome of The Job. Sarah thinks Casey is a good agent but he's also a bit of a loose canon and that makes him dangerous, especially in light of her recent discovery. But as she watches Casey taunt Chuck about something, she wonders if he might have formed a soft spot for Chuck. And if Director Graham turns down her proposal, that might be the only leverage she has in saving Chuck.

Sarah's phone rings, stirring her from her thoughts. It's Director Graham.

--

hysterical confession, my big courageous move.  
don't gasp at the predictable,  
a comforting lie can't last.  
preordained checklist of this awkward love,  
it's so sad.  
-- comforting lie, no doubt


	5. So Close

**Thanks everyone for catching my repost of Chapter 2 -- here's the REAL chapter 5! **

**Title**: So Close (5/6)  
**Series Title**: Five Times Chuck and Sarah share a bed for their cover (and one time they just do)  
**Rating**: PG-13/R (leaning much more towards R)  
**Pairing/Characters**: Chuck/Sarah, Casey, minor appearances by Ellie and Awesome  
**Word Count**: 3646**  
Summary**: it's the most normal experience Sarah can imagine under such circumstances - circumstances that don't allow for real declarations of feelings, for feelings of regret or longing, or for discussion of the future or the past. **  
Spoilers/Warnings**: up to **1x11**: Chuck vs. the Crown Vic  
**Disclaimer**: Everything belongs to NBC.I'm just playing during the writers' strike.  
**Author's Notes**: This is the last of five situations that Chuck and Sarah sleep together for their cover (don't worry – there's one bonus story!) Thanks, as always, for the kind words and reviews – they are helping me write this during some hard times!

Chuck's strapped to a chair.

In addition to a microphone, he's hooked up to heart and brain wave monitors. Currently, he's staring at a television screen, reciting information from images as Casey and Sarah look on. From their vantage point in a small room with one way mirrors on two walls, they can see and hear both Chuck and Dr. Harlo and his CIA escort, Agent Richardson. For their safety, Chuck and Dr. Harlo can hear each other but see no one.

Chuck's being a good sport about it, although his heart monitor suggests he's nervous and his brain monitor suggests he's still the Intersect. Dr. Harlo warned them due to the extensive encoding in Chuck's brain it could be a long, tedious, and slow moving process and he hadn't been exaggerating. Dr. Harlo and Chuck have been at it for almost three hours and show no signs of stopping.

"Will you sit still Walker?" Casey barks as Sarah crosses and uncrosses her legs for the millionth time.

"Sorry," she says and fights the urge to stick her tongue out at the back of Casey's head. She's anxious about the possibility it will work and the possibility that it won't since neither prospect leaves her very happy. She'll be pleased, professionally, if Dr. Harlo is successful since she is the one who suggested him but that will likely result in a reassignment and no more Chuck, which is hard to get excited about.

Casey doesn't say anything beyond what's required and the silence unnerves Sarah. She goes for a cup of coffee around hour 5 and decides to get Casey a cup as a sort of peace offering. Even after all these months, outside of a life or death situation where they both have jobs to do, she still can't read him. He had simply nodded when Director Graham had briefed them on the how, when, and where of de-Intersecting Chuck and if he had been rankled by the change in procedure, he still did not let on that he, at one time, had alternate instructions for Chuck.

But there's a moment, right before Casey becomes aware of Sarah returning with the coffee, where Casey leans into the window and whispers something low and urgent. His breath fogs the glass briefly and his expression is tight as he watches Chuck struggle with an image. The struggling is a good thing – it means Dr. Harlo's making progress and Chuck can't recall the coding automatically anymore – and Sarah can't be certain but it had looked a lot like Casey whispered, "Nice work Chuck."

And then, in the next instant, he's on alert as Sarah closes the door behind her and offers out the cup of coffee. Casey accepts it with a slight nod of his head and they pass a few more hours in silence.

Dr. Harlo pronounces Chuck "cured" somewhere around midnight. At the pronouncement, Chuck immediately puts his head in his hands and begs for Advil. Casey and Sarah exchange worried glances. "Take him home," Casey suggests. "You're the more plausible cover-up. Make up an excuse if anyone sees you, stay if you think it's necessary. I'll finish up here."

Sarah doesn't need to be told twice. She gives Casey a grateful smile and goes to collect Chuck.

--

The phone vibrates against Chuck's end table. Sarah grabs it before it can wake Chuck and moves stealthily into the bathroom, stealing a look at the peacefully sleeping Chuck as she closes the door.

"Walker," she whispers.

"Agent Walker," comes Director Graham's deep voice. "Congratulations. Both Agent Casey and Dr. Harlo sent in very detailed reports. It appears the mission was successful. Mr. Bartowski is no longer the Intersect."

"That's great," Sarah says and her stomach bottoms out. She knows what is coming next.

"You have completed your assignment in LA. Please report to Langley tomorrow at 1200 hours. Flight details are being sent to you as we speak. See you tomorrow."

Sarah glances at the flight details – of course it's a really early flight, _thanks_ CIA – before closing the phone and sitting down heavily on the lidded toilet. She allows herself exactly one minute of crippling self pity before resolutely standing back up. She has one day left; she might as well make the most of it. And if that means going back to Chuck's bed and cuddling into him while he slept, then she doesn't want to miss that by feeling sorry for herself.

The bed sinks as she climbs back into it, the covers sliding deliciously against her smooth, bare legs. Chuck hasn't moved in the time that she's been gone but he stirs now and wakes up enough to squint at the clock. "'S too early," he mumbles and snakes an arm around Sarah's waist, pulling her against him, spoon style. He buries his head in her neck and Sarah melts immediately into his arms. Her heart is heavy at how natural this feels, at how even when Chuck isn't awake enough to register it, he searches for her in bed.

"Go back to sleep," Chuck tells her and that is exactly what Sarah does.

--

Chuck's alarm jolts them both awake. Chuck reaches over her blindly and swats at the clock until it is quiet. He flops back onto the bed and rubs his face slowly with his hands. Sarah has the pillow over her head and when she speaks, it's muffled, "How do you feel?"

"What do you mean?"

Sarah lifts the pillow off her face and looks at him, concerned. "You had a splitting migraine last night. You couldn't even walk straight. I had to help you into bed – you don't remember?"

Chuck thinks about. "No," he says slowly, concerned. "What happened?"

Sarah shrugs, not surprised Chuck can't remember much after flashing on Intel for several hours straight. "After Dr. Harlo was done with you, you had a really bad headache, so I took you home. I gave you some painkillers and got you ready for bed, and then I stayed because Awesome had seen me come in with you. You don't still have a headache, do you?"

Chuck shakes his head no, and then thinking of _got you ready for be__d_, very unsubtly lifts the covers to find himself in boxers and a white undershirt. He decides not to think (much) about Sarah taking his pants off. He peeks at Sarah. She's wearing an old t-shirt of his and nothing else. Her legs are on full display and Chuck swallows slowly as he drops the covers. He lies back down and Sarah puts a hand on either side of Chuck's torso. She is directly above him, and in his ear, she flirts, "Trust me – if we had sex, you'd remember."

Chuck freezes underneath her, his brain in overload. Sarah thinks of the bugs Casey's planted and how people are, once again, listening to her and Chuck and pauses as well. But then she thinks of carpe diem and how she only has one day left to seize.

She kisses Chuck.

Chuck thaws instantly, with the kiss beginning sweetly but increasing in intensity quickly. He has a bit of stubble growing and his skin feels rough against hers at first but not unpleasant. He brings one hand up to rest at the nape of her neck, fingers buried in her blond hair, and the other slips under her t-shirt to stroke her bare back. It's an awkward angle and Sarah shifts so that she is lying entirely on top of Chuck, their bodies aligned at every point. Her t-shirt, already short, rides up to expose toned legs and pink lace panties.

Chuck bites her lower lip gently, his tongue sliding across Sarah's and she feels a slow burning begin and spread throughout her body. She gives a breathy sigh as Chuck moves his hands so that they both rest on her ribcage, thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts.

Sarah feels her skin goose bump as Chuck pulls back to smile at her, his dark, curly hair more unruly than usual from where Sarah's hands have run through them. Chuck brings a hand up to brush some errant hair off her face, tenderly tucking it behind her ear. He's memorizing her in his bedroom, the sheets tangled around them, the blinds casting shadows that give the room a feeling of timeless intimacy.

Sarah sits up on his lap and Chuck takes her all in: Sarah's long legs gripping the sides of his hips as she straddles him, her pink, swollen lips in a pout at the loss of contact, the rise and fall of her chest as she tries to catch her breath.

"Chuck," she whispers and raises her hands above her head. Chuck's eyes go dark with understanding and he reaches his hands out. He starts at her hips, tracing circles on her hipbones, and the moves up slowly to caress her sides, her ribcage, her shoulders, until Sarah's free of Chuck's t-shirt and is simply in her underwear. Chuck forces himself to drag his gaze away from her impressive body and look her in the eyes, which are now tinged with nervousness. He feels comforted that she's appears to be as nervous as he is and tries to think of anything – the Nerd Herd job orders, codes for Halo 3, the grocery list Ellie's posted on the fridge – to slow himself down.

Chuck leans up and kisses her again, trying to pour every emotion – hope, need, trust, desire, lust, anticipation, and maybe even love – into the kiss. Sarah strips him of his own shirt and pushes him back down on the bed. Chuck looks up at her, his face in a content half smile, his eyes lidded and focused on her. Sarah slides up his body slowly, letting her chest trace a torturous path against his.

"Mmm," she hums against his lips when she reaches them. She wraps her arms around his neck and his hands wander down her torso, tracing the curve of her spine, until he reaches her butt. He grinds his hips into hers, sending shock waves throughout her body, and Sarah groans, her breath harsh and ragged against his neck.

It's a tribute to how close Ellie and Chuck are that Ellie knocks and enters without waiting for a response. "Chuck, I know you're up, I heard your alarm clock – " she says as she swings the door open.

"Ellie!" Chuck reacts immediately, drawing the covers over Sarah and himself, but not before Ellie sees Sarah's bare back and Chuck's arms wrapped around her.

Ellie's face blushes dark red immediately and she covers her eyes with her hands. "Oh! Oh my god," she says. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you stayed over Sarah. Oh god."

Sarah's face is red with embarrassment as well and she is gripping the sheet closely to her chest. "It's ok, Ellie," she says even though she wants to scream.

Ellie feels her way back to the door frame. "Ok, well, I just wanted to say Devon is making pancakes and there is coffee if you want to join us for breakfast but if you don't, that's ok too. I totally understand."

"Ellie!" Chuck protests.

"Ok, I'm just going to go," Ellie finally says in uncomfortable defeat and closes the door firmly behind them.

Sarah chances a glance at Chuck. He's mortified, his face buried in a pillow. Sarah thinks about how long it's been since someone has walked in on her and she starts to giggle. She gives up trying to hold it in and falls onto Chuck, her body shaking with laughter, and Chuck joins her after a minute.

When Sarah's laughed hard enough to produce tears, she wipes her wet cheeks and presses a kiss to Chuck's ear. "C'mon Bartowski. You're gonna need your strength."

Chuck sighs heavily, having hoped for a different result but not truly expecting one, and finds a pair of pants and a t-shirt to put on. He tosses Sarah a shirt, a sweatshirt, and an old pair of his boxers and they go out to meet Ellie and Devon in the kitchen.

It's the last meal Sarah has at the Bartowski apartment.

--

Chuck stays behind to help clean up while Sarah goes to find a pair of socks for her freezing feet. Casey is in Chuck's bedroom when she gets there. Sarah narrows her eyes when she sees him. "What are you doing Casey?"

Casey holds up several small bugs. "Won't be needing these anymore." He removes the last bug, turns to her, and grins. "Oh, just so you know? Mornings in the Intersect's bedroom aren't normally so _entertaining_."

Sarah refuses to be baited. "Chuck's not the Intersect anymore."

Sarah's not sure but she thinks Casey softens. "I know." Sarah thinks that means _thank you_ in Casey-speak and wonders what would have happened if Casey had gotten the order to terminate Chuck. She's glad she never has to find out but, at the same time, she's not quite sure he would have been able to go through with it. He waves a small jewel case containing a silver CD at her.

"What's that?" she asks, suspicious.

Casey beckons her closer and presses it into her hand. "It's the only copy," he tells her. Sarah snaps her eyes back to his in surprise. "It was nice working with you, Agent Walker," and he sounds like he means it.

Sarah gives him a sad smile. "You too, Agent Casey."

Chuck comes in just as Casey's frame is disappearing from the window. "What did Casey want?"

Sarah hides the recording behind her back. "Nothing," she says. She thinks about putting off the inevitable, of going back to what they had started before, but after breakfast with the Bartowskis, she has found some clarity, especially in the knowledge that she will never be able to enjoy something like that again. "Chuck, I think you need to sit down."

--

As Sarah pulls down her suitcases from her closet, she thinks of the way Chuck's face had crumpled when she told him the news. She thinks of how stiff he seemed next to her as she lied to Ellie and Devon about a family emergency and moving back to DC. And how cold and unfeeling he was as he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek goodbye. And how the last time she ever saw him, he was closing a door, eyes blank and shoulders slumped.

She knows it's possible he's in shock and that's why he had seemed so distant but what did he think was going to happen? She was going to stay forever? Sarah's angry: angry at Chuck for not seeming to care enough after everything they've been through, angry at herself that Chuck's non-reaction could produce this sort of reaction in her, angry at the tears that are threatening to spill onto her cheeks. She wipes furiously at her eyes and focuses on the task at hand. She's always been better with a goal in mind.

In the middle of sorting pants from jackets in the pile of clothes on her bed, there's a knock on the door and Sarah refuses to acknowledge the flare of hope inside her. But it IS Chuck at the door, looking forlorn and holding a pizza box. Sarah knows the pizza will not have olives on it and that fact makes her more upset than almost anything Chuck will say.

"Ellie thought it was sad I wasn't helping you pack and Devon didn't understand why I wouldn't try to get some goodbye sex," Chuck says by way of explanation. Sarah gives him a watery smile and moves to let him in. He raises an eyebrow at the state of her room. Her attempt at order has simply produced more chaos and she thinks maybe that describes everything she's ever experienced with Chuck.

"I've been told I'm a very efficient packer," he tells her solemnly and his eyes have bags underneath them, like he hasn't slept for days. The half moon shaped bruises make Chuck seem more boyish and vulnerable and Sarah has to look away before she launches herself into his arms and says something she'll regret.

Instead, Sarah hands him a suitcase and points him in the direction of her bureau. "Make yourself useful Bartowski."

The first drawer Chuck opens contains underwear and bras in every possible color and pattern. He shuts it quickly and turns to her. "Uh, maybe something, uh, less personal?"

Sarah rolls her eyes and decides not to point out the obvious – he saw her almost entirely naked this morning, right before they almost had sex, her bras and underwear shouldn't make him nervous – and points towards her bed. "Pants. Go."

They spend most of the night eating pizza and packing her room down into two large suitcases. Most of the stuff she's accumulated in LA won't go back to Langley with her and as a result, she has piles of yes, no, and maybe. Chuck proves to be helpful and obedient, following her orders preciously but also interjecting with the occasional sarcastic remark, and Sarah finds herself laughing more than she expected. They talk about DC in abstract terms, never mention the word leaving, and it's the most normal experience Sarah can imagine under such circumstances - circumstances that don't allow for real declarations of feelings, for feelings of regret or longing, or for discussion of the future or the past. They exist in the present tonight because it'll never get better than this morning and it will never get worse than tomorrow.

By three AM, everything that is going with Sarah is in the luggage near the door and everything else is in neat piles for the CIA to pick up. The room seems barren, even with the linens still on the bed and the piles of assorted stuff on the ground, and Sarah sighs as she looks around.

Chuck lies down on her bed and pats the space next to him. Sarah obliges him and they lay like that for a while, close enough to feel body heat but not touching, and stay quiet. There is nothing to say that can be said.

Chuck knows he has what he wanted. Ever since he opened Bryce's e-mail, he's wanted to be rid of the Intersect in his head, wanted to go back to his life before he was the government's latest project. But there's certainly something for the saying be careful what you wish for because now Sarah's being reassigned and there is nothing he can do to stop it.

After a while, Chuck props his head up on his hand and looks at Sarah. Her blonde hair is spread on the comforter, her skin pale and translucent in the moonlight that peeks through the windows. Abruptly, she turns her head to look at him and her cobalt blue eyes seem to stare straight through him. Hesitantly, Chuck opens his arms. Sarah immediately nestles into his chest, her head in the crook of his neck, her breath in time with his soothing heartbeat. They hold each other until the sun peaks over the horizon, illuminating the sky in a brilliant sunset, and it is time to go to the airport.

Sarah has instructions to leave the Porsche in short-term parking – the CIA will take care of getting it back to DC – and tries to tell Chuck that coming to the airport will be a waste. With all the new security restrictions, the most he'll be able to do is watch her check-in and take off her shoes for security. But she's secretly pleased that Chuck refuses to say goodbye to her in her apartment and he follows her in the Nerd Herd car to the airport.

Her flight is the first direct LA to DC flight of the day and the line to check-in is long. Chuck pulls Sarah's luggage for her and she smiles up at him, linking their hands together, and squeezing gently. She doesn't let go and they pass the time by quietly poking fun at fellow passengers. Chuck stays with her until it's her turn to go through security.

"Sir, you can't go any further without a valid ticket," the tired looking woman tells him with a hand against his chest.

"I know," he tells her anxiously. "I just want to say goodbye to my … – " The woman nods her agreement, isn't listening anymore as she waves them to the side and examines the next passenger's ticket, which is good because he didn't even know what word came next anyway. Girlfriend isn't correct, friend seems too vague, protector is simply awkward.

Sensing his conundrum, Sarah suggests, "to my Sarah," with a shaky laugh. She grasps Chuck's hands in hers and her smile is weak. Her eyes are wet with unshed tears and Chuck finds himself at a loss for words. "I'll miss you, Chuck Bartowski."

"And I'll miss you, Sarah Walker." He wants to say something about staying in touch but that's not something that can be a reality and they both know it. He settles on, "Stay safe."

Sarah nods, a lone tear falling on her cheek. It traces a wet trail down her face and Chuck captures it with his thumb, brushing it away, and holds her face tenderly. He presses his lips to hers, trying to say everything he doesn't know how, and he hopes Sarah gets it.

She pulls back and keeps her eyes closed for a second. Then, she resolutely turns around and joins a security line. Sarah doesn't turn around to look at him again and Chuck doesn't expect her too.

He watches her until she is swallowed up by the crush of people on the other side of security and then he goes home.

We're so close to reaching that famous happy end,  
And almost believing this was not pretend.  
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are,  
So close - so close,  
And still so far.  
-- So Close, Jon McLaughlin


	6. Keep Me In Your Thoughts

**Title**: Keep Me In Your Thoughts (6/6)  
**Series Title**: Five Times Chuck and Sarah share a bed for their cover (and one time they just do)  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Pairing/Characters**: Chuck/Sarah, minor appearances by Ellie et all  
**Word Count**: 3090**  
Summary**: He imagines her in all sorts of situations in all parts of the world but always falls asleep thinking about how she had looked that last morning, sleep mussed and groggy in his bed  
**Spoilers/Warnings**: up to **1x11**: Chuck vs. the Crown Vic  
**Disclaimer**: Everything belongs to NBC.I'm just playing during the writers' strike.  
**Author's Notes**: This is the final chapter of my short story. I'm sorry this is delayed – I had the stomach flu earlier this week and was unable to do anything but lie in my bed. I hope everyone had as much fun reading this as I did writing – as always, thank you for the kind reviews and words everyone has left!!

The first date Chuck goes on after Sarah leaves is with a short, auburn haired doctor that Ellie sets him up with. Lauren is willing to share stories about her life, she has a wildly inappropriate but extremely hilarious sense of humor, and they have similar taste in music. During the course of the date, Lauren does not pull a gun on him, she does not instruct him not to freak out, and she does not use the words cover, Intersect, or government.

Chuck does not call her for a second date.

He tells Ellie it's too soon when she presses. She wonders when it won't be too soon and Chuck shrugs, afraid of the answer.

--

Chuck spends most of the next year not dating. Instead, he channels all of his bitterness, frustration, and loneliness into writing, coding, and perfecting a new video game. Morgan helps him, a little, but it's mainly Chuck.

His video game has a very familiar premise: an unsuspecting guy becomes a keeper of government secrets and has to help defend the country in various missions. Each level is a different mission, most of them ridiculous and absurd and yes, there are ninjas, and even though it's crude and unfinanced, Chuck knows it's _good_.

Due to the nature of his video game, it's no surprise that Chuck also spends a significant portion of the year daydreaming about Sarah. He wonders if she's involved in the government coup in South America, if she's cozying up to Spanish ministers, if she ever met up with Bryce again. (Sometimes, he wonders if he ever crosses her mind but that proves to be the most frustrating of all his daydreams so he tries to avoid it if possible.) He imagines her in all sorts of situations in all parts of the world but always falls asleep thinking about how she had looked that last morning, sleep mussed and groggy in his bed.

Chuck isn't sure exactly how it happens – there's a "I know a guy who knows a guy" from a very grateful customer at the Buy More and some of him stressing that the package is _very important_ to the post office woman and lots and lots of obsessing over an answer – but somehow, he receives an invite to pitch his game to a video game conference in Washington DC. Chuck accepts, obviously, very aware that this is not how video games get developed and when he hangs up the phone he has no idea how he went from being the Intersect to a video game developer in the span of a year.

There aren't that many meetings so it's basically a paid three-day vacation for Chuck and Ellie, Awesome, Morgan, and Anna decide to tag along because Ellie's never seen the Atlantic Ocean and Morgan wants to bask in the "sure success" of "their" video game, even though all Morgan ever did was test out the coding and comment about how the blonde agent sort of looked like Sarah.

As is her nature, Ellie spends days researching tourist attractions and planning out their mini-vacation to the minute. "There's a lot to do in the nation's capital," she reminds them sternly when they laugh at the schedule she hands them, "and we don't want to waste unnecessary time."

Chuck has a meeting Saturday morning but he joins the group in the afternoon. They have a light lunch and then head to the Mall, enjoying the warm April sunshine that's really no different from California but it feels different because it's _vacation_ sunshine. Everyone's in jeans and t-shirts and Chuck has a giant map he's wrestling with since Ellie may be the planner of the group but he's the only one who can actually read a map well enough to navigate them.

He's sort of zoned out of the conversation as he tries to figure out how to get from the Washington Monument to the Smithsonian until Ellie turns back to Chuck, a frown on her pretty face. "Chuck, I thought you said – that looks like – it couldn't be, right?"

Chuck looks up from the map. "Uh, what?"

But Ellie's already turned around and jogged away from the group. "Sarah!" she yells and with one simple word, Chuck's whole world shifts. In that moment, everything becomes crystal clear and not clear at all, and even as his head feels light and his lungs tighten and his stomach bottoms out so quickly it's like he's on a roller coaster, even as all of this is happening, he zooms in on the blonde head in the crowd that pauses and tentatively starts to look around. He literally stops breathing when the blonde turns and the light illuminates her face. For one split second, Chuck thinks he might pass out or throw up or, worst of all, cry.

It's Sarah.

Ellie catches up to her and gives her a big hug. "Sarah, hi!"

Sarah is thrown off guard and dazed as she hugs Ellie back. She's been in the country for all of twenty hours, is enjoying the sunshine and the animosity of DC before she has to go back under, and the last thing she expected was to be hugged by Ellie Bartowski in the middle of the Mall (what the hell is Ellie Bartowski doing here, anyway?) She hopes her smile doesn't look as confused as she feels. "Ellie, hi!"

"Chuck said you wouldn't be in DC this weekend, what a surprise! And, oh, I am so glad your mother is doing better," Ellie beams. She hasn't let go of Sarah's arm, which is good because Sarah's torn between staying and running. In the end, Sarah settles for searching the crowd for Chuck. Chuck has to be here, right? It would be a cruel, cruel world for her to run into Ellie and have Chuck still be 3000 miles away.

When she finds nothing, Sarah forces herself to ignore her disappointment and turn her attention back to Ellie. "Well, that makes two of us that are surprised," she teases, trying to divert the conversation off herself. Sarah realizes that Chuck must be pretending to have kept in contact with her so Ellie wouldn't be suspicious of their break-up. It's just like Chuck, to still be covering for her after all these months. She's not sure if it's pathetic or romantic. She also has no idea what he's told her, what stories he's been relaying. Sarah throws caution to the wind as she places a hand on the small bump on Ellie's midsection and hopes this isn't something Chuck was supposed to relay. "Chuck certainly has not mentioned this."

Ellie beams at her, her happiness radiating outward. "I'm eighteen weeks along. We just started telling people."

Sarah impulsively gives Ellie another hug. "Well, congratulations." When she pulls back, there are familiar faces behind Ellie. Everyone looks the same: Morgan's grinning like a fool, Awesome looks mildly surprised but not unpleasantly so, Anna is wearing far too much eye makeup and holding Morgan's hand tightly, and then there is Chuck. Her breath catches and all she can do is to stare at him. She's conditioned herself to think that she'd never see him again, she can't believe he's right in front of her. Chuck looks just as stunned as she does.

"We're going to the Washington Monument," Ellie tells her as Sarah hugs Awesome and Morgan and even Anna hello. She pauses in front of Chuck and they simply look at each other, the air thick with words they don't know how to say. Sarah realizes after a moment that Ellie is expecting a response.

Chuck answers for her and his voice is so familiar, even after all this time, that Sarah closes her eyes and lets it melt over her. His voice has featured so prominently in so many of her dreams this past year, it's hard to convince herself that this is not one of them. "Do you mind if we sit this one out?"

"Not at all," Ellie says and even her voice is almost bubbling over with excitement at their reunion. Sarah keeps her eyes closed until the sounds of their footsteps fades away and all she can hear is the quiet of Chuck's breathing.

Chuck leads her to a bench and sits as far from her as humanly possible. There's a heavy silence and the air holds a palpable tension. There's so much they both want to say to each other, finding a start point seems impossible. Sarah fiddles with her hands. "How – how have you been?" Chuck asks finally and he winces at what a terrible question it is.

"Fine," Sarah says but means _awful_, _I'm miserable without you_, _I hate all my assignments since I left you, I don't understand what kind of girl I've become_. Sarah's always been strong and independent and no assignment, no person, has ever affected her so much. She's done her duty this past year, going to South America and Europe and New Jersey and wherever else the government needs her to but her heart has never left LA. It's extremely out of character for her and its unnerving but it's been a year and nothing's changed. "What are you doing here in DC?"

Chuck explains about the video game and the conference and Sarah laughs when he's done. "The premise sounds familiar," she teases but it misses its mark and Chuck bristles.

"I cleared it with Director Graham," he says defensively.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's called a few times over the year, to check up on me. I'm sure they've kept tabs on me too, or at least sent agents into the Buy More, to make sure I don't have the secrets in my head anymore." Sarah's surprised, she didn't know anyone was still in touch with Chuck. "Do you ever see Casey?"

Sarah shakes her head slowly. "We're in different branches so our paths don't cross much." She's sadder about this than she expected.

They lapse into silence again but it's more comfortable this time around. Sarah wants to know anything about Chuck's life this past year, if he's still at the Buy More, if he's dating anyone, how Ellie and Awesome's wedding was, but she refrains because knowing more details of his life will just make it harder to leave again. Chuck stays silent because he knows she probably can't tell her anything anyway and just seeing her again is enough.

They sit together for a while, reveling in each other's presence until Sarah looks at her watch. "I have to get going," Sarah says and smiles apologetically. Chuck stops her with a light touch to her arm and it's the first contact they've had in over a year. Goosebumps immediately appear all over Sarah's body and Chuck pulls his hand back quickly, as if she burned him. They chuckle self-deprecatingly at each other's reactions and Chuck clears his throat. "The conference is having a fancy dinner tonight. We're allowed to bring a date. I was going to bring Ellie but – uh – would you, would you like to come with me? If you're free, that is."

Sarah nods her head slowly, once, twice. "I'd love to," she tells him sincerely.

--

Sarah wears the green dress she wore to Chuck's cousin's wedding and the detail does not escape Chuck. His hand is warm on her bare back as he leads her to the table and Sarah shivers when he removes it. The dinner is boring but the company is not and as she laughs with Chuck, their easy camaraderie falling back into place after all these months, Sarah finds herself longing to do this every day. It's not an errant thought, it's a thought that's become more common throughout the year – and a thought that Sarah is seriously contemplating making a reality.

She never expected to find herself wanting to give up the CIA but as Sarah unconsciously leans into Chuck, she never expected to want something else so much more.

After the dinner, she and Chuck move into the hotel bar. The lights are low and the booth they are in is intimate. Their knees brush underneath the table and the conversation is light and flirty. Both are enjoying their unexpected night together, not wanting to say anything that will disrupt the balance, not wanting it to end.

There's a lapse in the conversation. Chuck plays with the label on his beer, flicking his eyes up to her face once or twice. Finally, he says, "Do you want to come up?" His voice is low and tentative, he won't look at her, but it's a lurid proposal, there's no way around that, and Sarah feels her body respond accordingly.

She looks at him: his curly hair is a little shorter now, his strong, capable hands are tracing the condensation on the bottle, his foot is tapping a rhythm only he knows against the table base. He's so familiar and yet so foreign and Sarah has a brief irrational worry that he wouldn't be real if she reached out to touch him.

"I can't," Sarah tells him and the foot tapping stops, just for a second, before resuming. "I have something I have to do." As she says the words, she realizes it's true. It's been a stroke of fortune, her and Chuck finding each other in Washington DC, and it's given her the answer she's been searching for these past months. It's presented her with the chance to finally make her desires a reality, if she chooses to, and Sarah can't ignore that. There's nothing more she wants than to say yes but she knows she won't be able to fully be with Chuck until there are no obstacles in the way. Last time had been pure torture, wanting to touch him, wanting to fall apart in his arms, knowing that she shouldn't. Sarah won't allow this time to be tainted by the same things.

It turns out she can still read him, after all this time, and he's uncertain and confused. "Now?"

"Yes," she tells him, tells herself. "What time is your meeting tomorrow?"

"11:30."

"Call me afterwards," she tells him and writes her number down on a bar napkin. "I'll buy you lunch." Her smile hints at something more than lunch and Chuck's face lights up in a grin so bright, it gets Sarah through the night.

--

Even though she has made her mind up and she knows it is what she wants, truly, Sarah still cries when she quits the CIA. Director Graham is clearly blindsided by her decision and tries valiantly to get her to stay but Sarah's resolved and eventually they strike a deal. They agree that Sarah will open a completely legit self-defense studio in LA and the CIA will give her an exclusive contract to train all the new agents in that area. It's a compromise for both of them and Sarah takes it gratefully, knowing she got the better end of the deal.

Chuck's video game gets bought at an absurd price and he's also named lead developer on the project to bring it from crude coding to full scale graphics. Sarah buys lunch for him, as promised, and that's where she drops her bombshell on him. Chuck sputters in disbelief until he finally leans forward and kisses Sarah in gratitude and sheer bliss.

She flies back to LA with him and they hold hands the entire way. They make love for the first time on Chuck's bed and, in a nice change of pace, no one is listening to them. It's better than either expected, which is hard to believe, and Chuck is so content afterwards that his limbs feel like jello, until Sarah rolls over on top of him and whispers, "Again."

Chuck asks her to marry him in response. She's not sure if he's serious or kidding but she still moans yes as he slips into her.

--

Lisa Casey Bartowski is born fifteen months later at 11:42 am. She has 10 fingers and 10 toes and is pink and _perfect_. She has a shock of curly brown hair on top of her head and bright blue eyes that stare around wondrously. She's quiet but nestles into Sarah immediately and Chuck's heart is so full in his chest, he thinks it might burst.

Ellie and Awesome and baby Tyler and Morgan and Anna coo over her from the nursery window. "That's your cousin," Ellie tells Tyler, who is just under a year old and has no idea what is going on. She has happy tears in her eyes and she hugs Chuck tightly every couple of minutes.

Even though it's been two and a half years since John Casey was in their lives, Morgan immediately asks if Lisa's middle name was in reference to that "scary dude" who used to work at Buy More. Chuck denies it vehemently, making up something about a cousin Sarah had, and it seems to satisfy everyone.

(( But after everyone goes home, Chuck gives the digital camera to a nurse and settles on the bed next to his wife and his baby. He puts his arm around Sarah and beams down at Lisa and the nurse takes the picture. He prints it out a few days later when they get home and writes Lisa Casey Bartowski 7/22/10 on the back. There's a lot more he wants to write but Casey's still an agent so Chuck has to settle for simplicity over explanation if he wants to send anything at all. Sarah still has a contact in the NSA she trusts and they know he got the picture because a few months later, they receive a postcard from Nepal that's blank except for _Good work __Bartowski__, Walker_ scrawled on the back. They hang it on the refrigerator next to a picture of Lisa in her Halloween costume. ))

Chuck and Sarah stare at their beautiful baby for hours, kissing every inch of exposed skin. "She's beautiful," Sarah whispers and she has never been happier.

"She looks just like her mom," Chuck whispers back. Sarah beams up at Chuck and kisses his lips softly. She shifts over in the small hospital bed and pats the space next to her. Chuck gets up from the chair near the bed and nestles next to her.

Eventually, a nurse comes to bring baby Lisa back to the nursery. In the bed, Chuck and Sarah fall asleep leaning into each other, their hands clasped together, small smiles on their faces.

Another disappearing act it seems,  
Another conversation gone midstream.  
It's never easy, when you're gone from me,  
But could you keep me in your thoughts throughout the day?  
Keep me in your thoughts while I'm away -  
Remember how it was and the words we thought to say.  
-- Keep Me In Your Thoughts, Stephen Kellogg


End file.
